St Philip’s was originally founded in 1970 as a residential school for junior boys. Over time, we developed an excellent reputation for residential child care and education, particularly through the 1980s and the early development of the Children’s Hearing system. 

The aim very early on was to develop a culture of transparency and a commitment to a clear set of values. 

Throughout the 90s, our collaboration with local authorities progressed through a period of reform.  We developed our Day Services facility and gained support from the Cora foundation and an agency of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Scotland. 

The advent of the new millennium proved to be among our most difficult periods but led us to remodel and develop our services. This included the introduction of the St Philip’s secure estate.  Although in place for a number of years, the secure estate across Scotland was reduced, and our secure facility was deemed supernumerary.  

In the years that followed we engaged in a process of restructuring and expansion. This began with taking over the secure facility while remodelling and developing additional facilities, firstly on campus and then in the community of Blackwood, South Lanarkshire. We also introduced girls to the facility and were soon registered as a mixed gender service for young people aged 10 to 18.

In 2020, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, we celebrated our 50th year of service. Our commitment to transparency and our core values remain as we continue in our vision to be the choice for vulnerable children and young people in Scotland who need a safe place to live, learn and flourish.